Man, they sure are going for a lot with this game. They're even adding multiplayer, of all things. Will be fun to see how that turns out. But this lack of decapitation is a noteworthy change for some of us:

Quite frankly, their reasoning...defies all logic. If we don't want to see what we've already seen, then why did we need to see Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, or Dead or Alive: Paradise released?? Why even make NG3??

Since it is clear that they're lying (otherwise I couldn't believe they are stupid enough to think so illogically), what do you all think is the reason behind taking out decaps. Even NG1 had decaps.

The reason behind is that game developers are not just making games. Making games is art in many ways.

Hayashi said that he and his team want you to feel slashing into bodies and focus more on the SoB concept blah etc what we all know until right now. This is TNs idea behind the design of NG3. If they would add the splatter from NG2 they couldn't achieve anything like that, since all the focus would be gone in just a second.
The only real reason I can think about is that they wanted a true visible difference and another feeling between both (and previous) games. These are my thoughts about his statement and to be honest, they achieved that goal perfectly with the non-decap decision.

Can you blame someone for making art? I guess not. Can you someone call a liar for it? No, not really.

The only question is: do you like it, or not? And here is the point where you have to say "yes" or "no". That's life.

P.S. And no, I'm not defending TN or what Hayashi said, to make that clear._________________

The reason behind is that game developers are not just making games. Making games is art in many ways.

Hayashi said that he and his team want you to feel slashing into bodies and focus more on the SoB concept blah etc what we all know until right now. This is TNs idea behind the design of NG3. If they would add the splatter from NG2 they couldn't achieve anything like that, since all the focus would be gone in just a second.
The only real reason I can think about is that they wanted a true visible difference and another feeling between both (and previous) games. These are my thoughts about his statement and to be honest, they achieved that goal perfectly with the non-decap decision.

Can you blame someone for making art? I guess not. Can you someone call a liar for it? No, not really.

The only question is: do you like it, or not? And here is the point where you have to say "yes" or "no". That's life.

P.S. And no, I'm not defending TN or what Hayashi said, to make that clear.

Your position is rational and quite sensible.

Perhaps taking out decaps was a further way to make NG3 stand out next to the other games in the NG series. Hayashi is making his mark as director of NG. He even admitted that his current team is "egoistic" over on the PS blog around the time Sigma 2 came out. Aside from decapitation and dismemberment being cut out, there are other things about NG3 that also clearly demonstrate a new direction for the series.

As for whether fans like the removal of dismemberment or not, that depends on each individual gamer out there. It is as simple as "yes" or "no" just as you stated. For a newcomer to the series, it probably isn't even an issue. But for veterans, it is debatable, as proved by lots of discussion on it.

Shrykull wrote:

It depends: the PAL version of Sigma 1 had no human decaps (there were for fiends though). It changed… nothing actually. Contrary to NG2 decapitation was not a gameplay feature in NG1.

It is true that human enemies could not have their head removed in NG1 and Sigma 1's PAL releases. But those were cases of censorship that were clearly documented then. With NGS2 and NG3, there have been no statements made definitively explaining the gore reduction issue as such. After NG1's territory censorship, I remember when people were wondering if Ninja Gaiden Black would get censored in PAL territories too. That was then, however.

You are right that NG1's head decaps did not affect the gameplay. But decapitation did affect gameplay in the direct sequel, only to be rescinded completely in the upcoming third installment. It comes off as rather odd, when the next logical step was to take the first game's decapitation further. The OTs and dismemberment were just two ways that NG2/NGS2 evolved this type of hack and slash, or melee action game.

What kind of evolution is Hayashi bringing to replace or compensate for this "change"? Guess we will find out. He said he wanted us to feel every katana slice and know what it was like to cut through somebody's bones. I'm not getting that he's succeeded there yet, but I have not played the game at this point. Hopefully, he was not referring to MOVE/Kinect or any other gimmicks like them.

Actually the whole story about katanas and bodies IN NG3 is kinda ridiculous. I cant even "feel" it cauz to save battery life I deactivated the controllers vibration xD. It makes gamers like us look like totally maniacs or mindless idiots, lol

Actually the whole story about katanas and bodies IN NG3 is kinda ridiculous. I cant even "feel" it cauz to save battery life I deactivated the controllers vibration xD. It makes gamers like us look like totally maniacs or mindless idiots, lol

Guess I have to live with that

You know what Tengu?? I also disabled rumble on my controllers just to save battery too.

The only time I use rumble is when I plug in a 360 wired controller. With PS3 or 360 wireless, I keep rumble turned off.